• S Gombar, J Kaur, K Kumar Gombar, A Dass, and A Singh.
• Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Government Medical College and Hospital, #1111, Sector 32B, Chandigarh 160031, India. dr_sgombar@rediffmail.com
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2007 May 1;51(5):621-4.

AimTo compare the effectiveness of granisetron and a granisetron-dexamethasone combination for the prevention of post-operative vomiting in children undergoing middle ear surgery.MethodsNinety ASA physical status I or II children, aged 3-12 years, were randomly assigned to three groups of 30 each to receive a single dose of placebo (normal saline), granisetron 40 microg/kg or a combination of granisetron 40 microg/kg and dexamethasone 150 microg/kg intravenously after the induction of anaesthesia. Peri-operative anaesthetic care was standardized in all children. Post-operatively, during the first 24 h after anaesthesia, the frequencies of retching and vomiting and the incidence of adverse events were recorded. Rescue anti-emetic was administered if two or more episodes of emesis occurred. Post-operative pain was treated with morphine intravenously, followed by acetaminophen orally.ResultsThere were no differences between the treatment groups with regard to demographic data. A complete response (no retching/vomiting and no need for rescue anti-emetic) was achieved in 50%, 80% and 96.67% of children who received saline, granisetron and granisetron-dexamethasone, respectively (P < 0.05). Six children who received placebo and one who received granisetron alone required another rescue anti-emetic. The incidence of adverse events was comparable in the three groups.ConclusionThe prophylactic granisetron-dexamethasone combination was more effective than granisetron alone in the prevention of post-operative emesis during the first 24 h after anaesthesia in children undergoing middle ear surgery.

21 keywords...

hide…